Framework Journal · one stock, one dated entry

Recorded 2026-08-04 · Permanent

Prospect Capital Corporation logoProspect Capital Corporation PSEC

Outside both standards

An entry written while the outcome is still unknown. It will be scored by what the market does next, and it will never be edited to look cleverer than it was.

In plain words · Prospect Capital Corporation is a business development company.

The label
Markup

read at $2.26

Prospect Capital Corporation holds its Markup at $2.26.

PHINPOOPSC
  • PHPhase · the trend structure carries the Markup label
  • INInsiders · no filings inside 60 days, left as found
  • POPositioning · no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
  • OPOptions · no verdict drawn today, left as found
  • SCScreen · does not pass the values gate
  • edge confirmed
  • edge broken
  • edge forming

Each arm is one independent read. Conviction is not a single call, it is how many edges converge.

The investor read · the season, not the day

As held on the ledger · 2026-08-04
PhaseMarkup
Quantitative stateElevated stress, defensive posture warranted, held for 12 days
Price$2.26
ValuationN/A trailing · 6.46 forward price to earnings
Values screenFAIL · score 30.0
Beta0.78

The opportunity · what the numbers say it is worth

Read at
$2.26
N/A P/E · 6.46 fwd
Our fair value
$2.00
12% premium
Analyst target (avg)
$2.00
-12% to current

Price history & projections · where it has been, where the models see it going

$5.1$3.4$1.8TODAY5y agoPROJECTIONConservative$2.00 -11%Analyst avg$2.00 -11%Our fair value$2.00 -11%Analyst high$2.00 -11%

The valuation journey · where the price sits against fair value and the Street

Current
$2.26
you are here
Conservative
$2.00
-12%
Analyst avg
$2.00
-12%
Our fair value
$2.00
-12%
Analyst high
$2.00
-12%

Green marks levels above today's price, red below; the shaded band is the gap between the price and our fair value.

Reading the gap · Both our model and the Street see limited upside at this price.

Revenue growth-12.10%
Profit margin-5.80%
Debt to equity37.92
Analyst consensusNone · 1 covering

Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; target range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.

The values screen, explained · five checks, plain English

This company is excluded by both standards. There are two widely recognised ways to check whether a company is suitable for a Muslim investor. It fails on both:

The common standard · AAOIFI
Used by most halal investing apps
✗ DOES NOT PASS
Our stricter standard · asset-based
The one Titan applies
✗ DOES NOT PASS

Why it fails. The problem is its prohibited keyword in sector/industry: financial services. Because both standards agree on this, it is a clear exclusion, not a borderline case.

What these two standards are, and how they differ →

  • Business activity Prohibited keyword in sector/industry: financial services Fail
  • Debt load Interest-bearing debt is of its assets, above the one-third ceiling the screen allows. Fail
  • Interest-bearing cash Interest-bearing cash and securities are of assets, above the one-third limit. Fail
  • Receivables Money owed to the company is of assets, above the 49% limit. Fail
  • Revenue purity of revenue comes from non-compliant sources, over the 5% line. Fail

Every security is read against two recognised standards: our stricter asset-based screen (ratios measured against total assets) and the more widely used market-value standard (measured against market capitalisation). Where they agree we say so plainly; where they part ways — almost always on the debt check — we show both readings and mark it, because that disagreement is the finding, not a fault. We report the score; you and your scholar make the call.

The business, in plain words · what the numbers mean

Middle market lending trips our ethical screen

Picture a lender chasing middle-market deals for yield, packaging mezzanine loans and buyouts into a listed vehicle. Prospect Capital sits in the exact sector our screen blocks outright. Financial services triggers an automatic pass, regardless of any headline multiples or apparent cheapness on paper.

The numbers do not help the case. Revenue is shrinking 12 percent, profit margins sit at minus 6 percent and return on equity is negative. Trading at 6.4 times forward earnings against a fair value below the current price leaves no margin of safety and highlights the usual cyclical trap in credit vehicles where earnings peak just as multiples compress.

High leverage and sector exposure add real downside when rates or defaults shift. The ethical block exists precisely to avoid these situations altogether. Analysis, not advice.

The fundamentals · plain-English read
Forward P/E6.5x
very cheap relative to earnings
Revenue growth-12.1%
revenue is shrinking
Profit margin-5.8%
currently unprofitable
Return on equity-0.8%
not currently earning a positive return on equity
Debt to equity0.38
minimal debt — a conservative balance sheet
Current ratio0.81
below 1 — short-term bills exceed liquid assets
Beta0.78
steadier than the market
Market cap$1.1B

The risks · The things to watch: it's a small-cap, so the share price can swing harder than the market.

Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.

Related securities · others in PSEC's space worth a look

Screened names in the same industry · explore each on its own page.

Where & how to trade · wherever in the world you are

PSEC trades on Nasdaq. As a US-listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering US markets. New to this, or investing from outside the US? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.

The trader read · the latest dated commentary

The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 2.2% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 4% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are down 19%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 11%. The street (1 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $2. Entered 2026-08-09 · Distribution

The dated journal · newest first, never edited

2026-08-09 Distribution $2.26 -2.2% Entry 4

The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 2.2% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 4% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are down 19%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 11%. The street (1 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $2.

2026-07-18 Distribution $2.31 +0.0% Entry 3

The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 4% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are down 19%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 11%. The street (1 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $2.

2026-07-03 Distribution $2.31 +0.0% Entry 2

The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns.

2026-07-02 Distribution $2.31 Entry 1

The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns.

Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.

What holding actually paid · price plus dividends

If $1,000 had been placed · historical, not a promise
PeriodPrice thenPrice returnDivs per share$1,000 becameTotal return
1 month $2.37 -5.0% $0.04 $965 -3.5%
2 months $2.54 -11.2% $0.08 $920 -8.0%
3 months $2.52 -10.6% $0.13 $944 -5.6%
6 months $2.39 -5.7% $0.26 $1,052 +5.2%
1 year $2.78 -18.9% $0.53 $1,002 +0.2%
2 years $4.00 -43.6% $1.15 $850 -15.0%
3 years $4.00 -43.6% $1.87 $1,030 +3.0%
5 years $4.87 -53.7% $3.31 $1,141 +14.1%

Historical returns from market close data. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

This entry now belongs to the ledger. Whatever PSEC does next, these words stay.

Prospect Capital Corporation · PSEC · Markup · $2.26
Recorded 2026-08-04 · before the outcome · scored mechanically

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